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A forest industry shout-out to Bill Mauro

The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) is congratulating Thunder Bay -Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro on his cabinet appointment as the new minister of municipal affairs.
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The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) is congratulating Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro on his cabinet appointment as the new minister of municipal affairs.

The Ontario Forest Industries Association (OFIA) is congratulating Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP Bill Mauro on his cabinet appointment as the new minister of municipal affairs.

In a March 27 statement, association president-CEO Jamie Lim said Mauro will a “positive voice” for Northern Ontario jobs and the economy.

Two years ago, Mauro introduced a private members bill to amend the Ontario Building Code to permit six-storey wood frame buildings in Ontario.

OFIA is pleased that Mauro’s ministry has released proposed amendments to allow for this type of mid-rise construction. The current code limits wood-frame construction to only four storeys.

The forestry sector has been lobbying for Ontario to adopt the same standards that currently exist in B.C.

The association says when the code is changed, this province will average about 500 mid-rise projects over the first five years, either in design or construction, with each project using about a million board feet of lumber.

“Changing the Ontario Building Code and leveling the playing field for all building materials could truly be an Ontario success story,” said Christine Leduc, OFIA’s director of policy and communications. “We can already look forward to exciting and innovative designs in our communities.’